Lent is upon us

So, are there crocodiles there?

Where?

There, where the children are playing.

No, you can not see them there - not now.

I know I can't see them, but are they there?

Yes, of course, the crocodiles are available now.

Available?  What do you mean?  Should we warn those children?

Sometimes yes, the crocodiles are there.

...!

Ethiopia has 13 months in its calendar and the churches here don’t follow our liturgical one, so for the past two Tuesdays, the kids have duped us into believing it was Fat Tuesday.  We’ve had cake and pancakes for dinner twice now (three times counting tonight)- not that we vigorously protested or anything, but still, we had two false starts at preparing ourselves for Lent.  We are looking forward to this Lenten season; hopeful, as ever, that our token sacrifices somehow create enough space in our hearts for God to flood into them – if he, in his sovereignty, decides to.

Here, some days we think we see signs a spiritual springtime is underway.  Other days, the deprivation eclipses everything else.  How these people have the courage to face their days is, at times, an inspiration and other times a complete mystery.  I am pretty sure some of us have privately tallied the days remaining till we can get safely home.  There is so much left to do though; it's overwhelming.

With the exception of Eliza, we are all fasting tomorrow with several very important things on our minds and hearts.